Maximo: Ghosts to Glory Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

Published: Jan 12, 2002

Advanced

Double-Jumping

The double-jump was something inventing in the days of
yore, for 2D platform jumping. Ghosts n' Goblins was one of few games to take
advantage of it. Basically a second jump after the first, where the player is
tested on how well he/she/it can manipulate the game's parameters and adjust the
jump.

Double-jumping has not changed much in Maximo, and in
fact, has been improved upon for the game. Normal double-jumps, where you press
cross-cross as fast as you can, are usually for manuevering or to deliver a down
strike. To make it through the game alive, you will be required to perform two
additional "styles" of double jump which merely take advantage of the double
jump theme.

The first style is called the double back jump. It
basically consists of the character jumping in one direction, then using the
second jump to land back in the same spot. You should practise this manuever,
because you will use it to get things you normally cannot get, or to avoid an
attack an return to the same spot. It is required that you perform it at least
once in the game, and if you're human, you'll be doing it a lot more than
that.

The second style is called the double long jump. This
version of double jump has the character perform the second jump not at the
height of the first jump (which is what normally happens for the greatest
increase in height) but rather at the lowest point possible inorder to gain the
most distance. This manuever trades height for distance, and is used to reach
those "impossible" ledges. A minor variation on this move involves falling,
executing the first jump, then the second jump, each at the last possible moment
in order to maximise distance.

Do not try this at home. As my doctor can attest, it
doesn't work in real life.

Terrain Tactics

Use the terrain to your advantage to avoid enemies and
to attack them one at a time. Enemies cannot climb, but they can drop. This
means you should seek the high ground and trigger death from above. Retreat and
repeat until they die. Even better, enemies are limited and remain dead if you
restart at a checkpoint (only if you killed them and then activate the
checkpoint). It is possible to avoid a lot of enemies and make it to the exit
crystal with a lot of health to take on the exit crystal melee. This will also
help preserve your shield's durability until you actually need to use it.

Also, fight enemies one at a time to make sure you are
not surrounded. Since Maximo can only swing his sword only at one, maybe two
enemies, he cannot hope to fight against an army of undead and win. That's only
if you're cheating. Know your enemy as welll; for example, mimics can be avoided
by memorisation, or by inspecting a chest and then retreating immediately as the
chest begins its animation. If it's a mimic, you will be far enough away to
avoid its attack and return the favor.

Hub Levels

Prize Wheels do not restock items, but prize wheels in
hub levels do. Keep this in mind when you prepare for a boss fight or are simply
collecting stuff in a hub level before you tackle the next stage. If you are
clever, you find the best stuff in the hidden chests and start almost every
level well armored and equipped with a fully charged firebrand.

Lock Spots

You start off with three Lock Spots but you will earn
more as you paste bosses against the wall and rough 'em up a bit. Abilities are
stage specific, so if you find one you like, keep it locked. Pick and choose
carefully since some abilities do not appear as often as you like. While some
are easily retrieved from stages, you may want to keep some abilities because
they are really helpful. These are the ones I have personally; this starting
gear should be enough to help you get the other abilities that you lost when you
died:

Have three to five iron keys stocked up. This saves you
time in backtracking to a locked chest on later levels; they allow you to avoid
dangerous and costly detours to find the iron key for a gate or locked chest you
need. If you are going for mastery, you can still have some keys "for
emergencies". So long as you don't have the maximum of nine (9) keys in stock,
you can pick up iron keys along the way but you have the option to open the
locked chest first.